[Xianzhou Alliance—Luofu Announcement:
In the 1st year of the 2158th Amber Era, the Xianzhou Luofu joined forces with the Astral Express to confront the invading enemies, successfully slaying the Lord Ravagers Phantylia and Zephyro.]
This was the announcement from the Xianzhou Luofu. At first glance, the feat of slaying two Lord Ravagers appeared incomparably dazzling, and in fact... it truly was.
When Topaz first saw this announcement, she too was deeply shocked by its contents.
She fully understood the level of power that a Lord Ravager—an Emanator of Destruction—possessed.
Within the Interastral Peace Corporation's Strategic Investment Department, this was an extremely important division, personally overseen by the Emanator of Preservation, Diamond.
And the Ten Stonehearts, as the high-level executives of the Strategic Investment Department, owed their prestigious status largely to having received a portion of an Emanator's authority from Diamond—that being the Cornerstones.
To confront a Lord Ravager, the mere one-tenth share of authority contained in each individual Cornerstone was utterly insufficient. Perhaps only by combining all the Cornerstones to reconstruct the complete authority of the Emanator of Preservation could they stand against an Emanator of Destruction.
That was why Topaz felt such profound shock upon learning that the Xianzhou Luofu had slain two Lord Ravagers at once.
Of course, if that were all there was to it, it seemed to have no connection whatsoever to the shelving of Topaz's plan.
The person who truly caused her original plan—to go seek out Yun Fan—to be put on hold was the currently slacking idler on the Xianzhou Luofu: Qingque.
The Emanator of Causality, Qingque. The moment this name reached Topaz's ears, she felt as though the world that had darkened because of Yun Fan was suddenly filled with light once more.
Since the imprint on her hand had been bestowed by the Emanator of Causality Yun Fan, and ordinary Pathstriders were unable to recharge it, then Qingque—who was likewise an Emanator of Causality—should surely be capable of doing so.
As for whether Qingque would help her, honestly speaking, Topaz had very little confidence in her heart. After all, for beings at the level of Emanators, ordinary items could hardly move them, let alone compel them to lend a hand.
Even so, Topaz still planned to personally travel to the Xianzhou Luofu and give it a try. After all, how could she know whether this path was viable if she didn't even attempt it?
"So perhaps, going to the Xianzhou Luofu to meet another Emanator of Causality is the only way."
Gazing at little Jelena's lovely face, Jade let out a soft sigh.
That Emanator of Causality truly was someone skilled at toying with human nature. Most likely, from the very beginning when he bestowed power upon Topaz, he had already anticipated that one day she would come seeking him of her own accord.
After all, the authority from an Emanator of Causality was simply far too versatile—calling it an all-purpose tool would be no exaggeration. Compared to it, the power of a Cornerstone seemed almost dispensable.
Not to mention Topaz, a young girl with relatively little experience—even she herself felt a slight covetousness toward such power.
Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep...
Just as Topaz was deep in thought, the communicator at her waist suddenly emitted a series of beeps, interrupting the girl's train of thought.
"Hm?"
Taking out her phone, Topaz opened her contacts. On the profile picture of the contact labeled "Stelle," several red notification dots had suddenly appeared. She tapped Stelle's avatar and entered the chat interface.
And the moment Topaz read the messages sent by the other party, her face instantly darkened.
Forcibly suppressing the rage in her heart, she read through all the messages. By the time she finished, Topaz's expression had grown so gloomy it seemed water could drip from it. Taking a slight breath to calm herself, she exhaled heavily.
"What's wrong? Has something difficult to resolve come up?"
Topaz had been personally promoted by Jade. Just like with Aventurine, back when Topaz was still little Jelena, Jade had recognized her talent and kept her by her side as an assistant, until she too became one of the Ten Stonehearts.
And precisely because she had raised Topaz herself, Jade understood the girl's personality well.
Normally, Topaz was not someone who would anger easily. Yet judging from her current state, it seemed she had encountered something truly unpleasant—so much so that she was barely able to contain her fury.
"It's Jarilo-VI. Those so-called company higher-ups in charge of the second round of resource investment have actually openly begun interfering in Jarilo-VI's internal affairs!"
Topaz's voice, brimming with anger, reached Jade's ears. Upon hearing this, the latter also furrowed her brows deeply.
The investment and development of Jarilo-VI had been undertaken by the Strategic Investment Department with the goal of befriending the other party. That planet had caught the gaze of the Aeon of Causality and held a high likelihood of becoming the first major stronghold of a Causality faction across the entire galaxy.
Moreover, according to Topaz, the Emanator of Causality named Yun Fan had once casually revealed that the Aeon of Causality, "Lord of Samsara," placed great importance on this planet. He had even said that the planet's Supreme Guardian had personally received the Aeon's blessing and possessed limitless potential in the future.
It was precisely for this reason that the Strategic Investment Department intended to build goodwill through resource investment and technical support—not only for the Strategic Investment Department, but for the entire Interastral Peace Corporation.
However... they had been negligent. They never imagined that the company higher-ups dispatched to Jarilo-VI would decide to encroach upon the planet's regime. What a bunch of good-for-nothings who could ruin everything!
"Not only that, according to Stelle, people from the Interastral Peace Corporation have already seized control of the regimes in several cities and are now planning to make a move on Belobog."
"Furthermore, the Trailblazer provided us with another piece of information: the reason their interference in Jarilo-VI's regime has gone so smoothly is that the planet's Supreme Guardian is currently not personally in charge of governance."
"Not personally in charge?" Hearing Topaz's words, Jade seemed to realize something, a trace of uncertainty and surprise appearing on her face.
Jarilo-VI had only recently reconnected with the wider cosmos, and on top of that, it had received massive resources and technical support.
At such a critical juncture, the Supreme Guardian who ruled the entire planet—Cocolia—would absolutely not let things slide.
Yet now, the sudden situation of the Supreme Guardian retreating into the background had arisen. That could only mean she must currently have something far more important to attend to.
"That's right. The Supreme Guardian named Cocolia is currently in seclusion cultivating. Presumably, once she emerges, her strength will reach Emanator level."